Shazam
by Joshua The Evil Guy
Summary: Part of the Inheritance-verse by Dragonhulk. In the wake of the Justice League's creation, the Supreme Wizard Shazam finds that he must pass on his own powers to a worthy heir. He has chosen Harry Potter to be the new Captain Marvel!
1. SHAZAM

Title: Inheritance: SHAZAM!

Author:Joshua

Disclaimer:Hopefully to be set in Dragonhulk's "Inheritance" universe, where a costume choice in his YAHF lead to Xander discovering a hidden past as Superman's half-human son, and the resurgence of superheroes and the Justice League in a world that had all but forgotten such beings ever existed in the first place. DC Comics owns the character names and me and Dragonhulk don't have any money they can sue out of us anyway, and this is a free posting in the spirit of the famous quote, "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery" and that was said so many times by so many people I don't know who FIRST said it I'm afraid. Superman, the Justice League, SHAZAM, and so forth are the current property of DC Comics, while Buffy, Xander, etc, etc, etc, are Joss Whedon's and Mutant Enemy Productions, Harry Potter belongs to J.K. Rowling and this fanfic is basically just a reinvention they haven't done themselves. Yet. : )

Summary:Part of the Inheritance Series. Around the world from Sunnydale, the Hellmouth, and the Sister Cities, a young boy is chosen to inherit the power of the most powerful wizard on Earth in order to stop the Dark Lord from destroying England and the whole world.

Chapter 1:Shazam

_Rock of Eternity_

An old man that many would call ancient sat beneath a mountain of a rock on a stone-carved throne, elevated above a platform that held seven demonic statues on either side. His long flowing white beard flowed past his waist, tucking into his belt even, while his dark robes shone like twilight in summer, and his physical form, while not as frail as one might think, was clearly not as powerful as it once had been. Suddenly, with no other warning, the old man's blue eyes snapped wide open.

"The Dark Lord has arisen," he gasped out loud.

His voice croaked from lack of use and the wrinkles of his face deepened with sudden emotion.

"The Chosen One must be found," he continued, sitting straighter in his throne while casting his attention beyond the space that was immediately around him. Forces were stirring, lines were being drawn, and old powers were awakening. As case in present.

"The Justice Society has passed its inheritance to the next generation," the old man continued, as though observing these facts from either memory or the ether itself. "The wheel turns and the inheritance of the old passes to the new. A new league has been formed from old familiar and new alliances alike." He sighed and held his hand to his forehead in apparent weariness. "Once I might have been able to help. Once I would take care of the Dark Lord without involving anyone else... but no. It is time. Time to pass on my own power to the one worthy of inheriting it. And so the wheel turns."

That having been said, the old man, the ancient wizard and keeper of the Rock of Eternity, the Wizard Shazam turned his attention to Earth and began to search in desperation for his heir.

_4 Privet Dr._

_Little Whinging, Surrey_

_England_

_TWO Years After 'Inheritance'_

It was the same dream every night.

A man and a woman. His parents he subconsciously knew, were panicking and running into a large room. At least it looked that way from the perspective he was shown. They ran up to him, the man facing away, towards the entrance they'd come in. The woman picked him up and then hid him behind some blankets, but he could still see what was happening in the room, which was a nursery he could now see.

Before too long something pounded against the door. The man and woman tensed. It pounded again, and again, and on the next it exploded inwards, showering the room with debris. A monster with glowing red eyes stood outlined in the shadows.

His parents screamed something, nothing he could understand, not entirely anyway.

"GET BACK YOU BASTARD!" his father screamed.

"NO! NO! NOOOOO!" his mother screamed.

There was a flash of green light that filled the whole room... and his parents were dead.

"NO!" Harry Potter screamed as he awoke from his dream. Sitting up in his bed, sweating, he slowly allowed the adrenaline to drain from his system. He sat there gasping for several minutes before he finally realized it was time to get up and get ready for the day.

Half an hour later, Harry was sitting down at the kitchen table for breakfast. A typical English breakfast of course; eggs, bacon, sausage, biscuits-n-gravy, and lots of milk, orange and apple juice for everyone. He decided to stick to the bare minimum today, seeing as he was still a little jumpy from his nightmare, and loaded up with only one of each, and some vegetable juice too, while the rest of those at the table partook of considerably... more.

His Aunt, Uncle and cousin all heaped up loads and loads of it onto their own plates before devouring it like starving prisoners. Although you certainly wouldn't tell it from the sheer size of his uncle and cousin. His aunt, on the other hand, was rail-thin, but only because she was as tall as any rail, not to mention she was the one that did all the cooking. After breakfast, he told them he was off to school and left at a run, seeing as he was already late, something which was said to have inherited from his father.

Harry James Potter you see, was an orphan. His parents, famous world-travelers, although he sometimes heard the words _Tomb Raider_ around the household occasionally, had been killed when he was still a baby, barely a year old, or so he'd been told. Afterwards, his mother's sister and her family had taken him in.

They weren't bad people, and they weren't mean to him or anything like that. Still, they were not very close. If anything, they were just living in the same house until he graduated and could afford some place else to live. But that didn't matter, as Harry was still going to be late for school, unless he really booked it!

As he passed a newsstand, he casually noticed the popular headlines that surrounded the window of the box hut. Headlines such as; "HEIR OF TOMORROW", "JUSTICE LEAGUE, HOAX or HORROR?", "SUPERMAN RETURNS!", "WILL *WONDERS* NEVER CEASE!", "NEW GREEN LANTERN, HERO OR VIGILANTE?", "STAR GIRL SHINES!", "FLASH STREAKS COLONIES!", and even "APOCALYPSE APPROACHES? 13 FOUND DEAD OF NO CAUSE" all of which had matching pictures of Superman, the whole Justice League team, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, Stargirl, a blurry red streak that was said to be the Flash, and so on and so forth.

That last article he'd seen was particularly gruesome, as Harry had heard about it the night before on the late-night news. Apparently somebody had broken into a secured wing of the London Museum and murdered thirteen people. The really weird part came in that even after autopsies, nobody could find any cause for their deaths. It was as though one minute there were alive, and then the next they just dropped dead on the spot.

As he ran on past the newsstand, racing towards school, Harry allowed his thoughts to drift back towards the return of the superheroes in the Americas. He honestly wanted to believe that people like that existed. But they'd been silent, or worse in hiding for the past fifty years, ever since the end of WWII, when they should've been doing what they were meant to do. After all, if heroes were still around and hadn't been driven away by everyone else... maybe they could've saved his parents.

But still... a man that can fly, is invulnerable, and is super strong? Or somebody that can run all the way around the world in _minutes_? Or to even know girls/women that look like _that_... uh, not that he's old enough to be interested in things like that just yet. Anyway, it was a child's dream to be able to do things like that, and to see others out there that can do it, it brings hope to those that still allow themselves those dreams.

Too bad Harry had stopped letting himself daydream like that, otherwise...

"HELP!" a voice cried out, drawing Harry out of his thoughts.

Looking around, he saw a little girl, at most eight years old though she looked six, lying in the middle of the street with her foot caught in a grate, and a garbage truck slowly backing up towards her, it's loud beeping drowning out the girl's cries so the driver couldn't hear or see her. Without thought, Harry dropped his school bag and ran as fast as he could to the girl. The truck was still several feet away, but that was rapidly shrinking, plus the girl's foot was stuck and he wasn't about to break a little girl's leg! Even to save her life!

As soon as he reached her, he grabbed her foot with both hands and warned her, "This might hurt a little bit," and then began to work her foot free of the grate. Not taking the time to celebrate, he picked her up and then dove out from behind the garbage truck, literally a second before the rear end would've crushed them both. The girl was still crying in his arms, but thankfully they were both safe, so he just held her for a bit until her sniffling quieted, and he asked if she was okay. She just nodded and then wriggled out of his grip onto her feet and ran off before he could stop her, leaving behind a very confused young hero. Not that anybody took notice as aside from the garbage truck driver, there was no one else around to see what he'd just done. And the truck driver had missed the entire thing and had already driven off.

Sighing, Harry just went back to his school bag and then took a second to notice the time and cursed himself. Now he was _really_ _late_!

_Rock of Eternity_

The ancient wizard sat on his stone throne and looked down upon the pool, where he'd just witnessed the heroic act of a young man that he knew would never be thanked for it. And rather than racing off to tell someone what he'd just done for hopes of being praised, he simply went on with his life. If ever there was, it was the display of a true hero.

"Hm," the Wizard Shazam muttered to himself, "He's definitely got bravery, I'll give him that. And while there are many that are worthy, best to mold this one into my successor rather than a man that would be tempted. Yes, he will do, he will do just fine."

"After all," he said, "I do owe it to the lad. I was too late once in his life, I shan't make the same mistake twice." The Wizard then held out his hand over the viewing pool and cast out with his magic. A giant thunderbolt struck down from the heavens and hit the pool, and then seemingly went _through_ it to it's true target, the young boy named Harry James Potter.

_Across the street from Harry's School_

_One minute before classes start_

Harry had just rounded the corner of the building, seeing the entrance to his school and several other late students going in ahead of him, and while he might be marked as late, his destination was now within sight. Just as he stepped up to cross the street, waiting for the traffic to lighten, Harry paused. He felt something, although he couldn't say what. It was almost like static electricity, only it didn't hurt and it was all over his body. Plus, it made him feel like whenever his aunt called him down from his room. Well, not exactly, but there was a definite sensation that he attributed to being called for by someone.

Before Harry could question this feeling any further, and before anybody could actually do or say anything, the sky darkened to a stormy-gray and a _massive_ lightning bolt crashed down, ignoring all the surrounding buildings and slammed down upon the boy standing at the side of the street just across from his school. People cried out, there was a car crash or two, but everyone immediately recognized that where they once saw a little boy standing there, nothing was left, not even ash.

_Rock of Eternity_

Almost in a deliberate rewind of when it struck, the thunderbolt came out of the same spot and arched up into infinity where it disappeared into the darkness, only rather than reveal the Pool of Viewing, it left behind the crouched boy, smoke and steam wafting up off him as he lay there for a moment or two. After a brief time of quiet, he finally noticed his surroundings and slowly looked around before cautiously standing to his feet. When he saw the old man sitting on the throne before him, he was thrown for a bit of a loop, at a loss for what to say or do in such circumstances.

Finally, after some minutes of anticipatory silence, Harry decided to make the first move, raised his right hand, smiled thinly and said, "Hi, I'm Harry Potter."

The old wizard sat there, staring at young Harry for several long moments, until Harry uncomfortably lowered his arm, still smiling, but no longer as confidently. "I know who you are, young Harry James Potter," the Wizard Shazam spoke in a surprisingly powerful voice. "I have been looking for you for... some time now, young Mr. Potter."

"You have?" Harry asked.

The Wizard Shazam nodded his head gravely, before sitting straighter in his stone chair and staring a little closer at the boy. "Yes, I have. I am the Wizard Shazam. I have been the Guardian and Keeper of the power of Magic since before time, officially, began. I hold residence here, at the Rock of Eternity, to watch vigil over the world and to keep the Seven Deadly Sins from running amok upon the Earth. I have seen men rise to dizzying heights, only to be struck down. I have seen Ages of Heroes come and go, until only legends remain of their deeds. I fought alongside the first in the line of Slayers against horrors the world can hardly comprehend today. I am very, very powerful, and even the gods themselves respect my name and mingle their power with mine, just as mine is mingled with theirs. I am simultaneously the world's greatest wizard and its oldest resident."

"For reasons you shall soon come to understand, I must ask that when you address me, not to call me by my name. Though it may seem rude for the moment, I would ask that you call me Wizard for now."

"Uh, all right... Mister Wizard, sir," Harry hesitantly replied.

The Wizard Shazam chuckled and laughed. "I always did enjoy that show, teaching young minds and opening them to the possibilities of the universe. Thank you, young Harry, I needed that," the Wizard Shazam smiled down at him. "Now, I trust you have some questions for me? Let's hear them then, if you please."

"Yes sir," Harry respectfully replied, before asking, "Why am I here? Where am I? And what do you need me for?"

"Ah, the ever present questions to all things," the wizard chuckled. "We've already covered who, now why, where, and what, hm? What of When and How?"

"I'm barely eleven years old, there's only so much I can handle at one time here, sir," Harry admitted.

"Fair enough," the ancient wizard chuckled once again. "As I mentioned, this is the Rock of Eternity. Suffice it to say, it does not exist on Earth, but rather outside of space and time altogether, and is a refuge for Magic, and a prison for the Seven Deadly Sins Of Man. And it is also my home. That actually managed to cover where and when together, so let's go ahead and get the easy questions out of the way, shall we? How you were brought here was through a version of magical transportation, which I cast to bring you here, and what I need you for is to hear me out and listen to me very carefully. Because now we come to the very difficult question, of why you are here."

The Wizard Shazam shifted in his seat before letting out a weary sigh. "I am old, Harry. Older than I look, which should tell you something right there. And while appearances are not everything, I am so far past my prime that I am quite literally on my death seat here. However, I hold a position of power and authority in the Grand Design, and my position _must_ be filled. There must always be a Supreme Wizard, it is the nature of things, and maintains the Balance."

"Okay... That explains why you haven't quit, but it doesn't really touch on why I'm here, sir," the child pointed out with surprising logic.

The Wizard Shazam let out another weary sigh, the twinkling in his blue eyes much diminished. "I can no longer carry my burden, Harry. I can no longer fulfill my role in the Grand Design. Therefore, according to the Rules of Magic, I must choose my successor, and give him all of my power."

Harry may not have been the brightest bulb of the bunch, or gotten straight A's in school, ever, at all. But he could take a hint, and he was most certainly not stupid. "Whoa! Wait a minute here! I think you have the wrong person here, sir!"

"You don't understand, Harry," the Wizard Shazam whispered, before chuckling darkly. "After all, how could you? There wasn't enough time, never enough time to do things the right way. That's the one thing everyone always regrets you know. Being late, neglecting what should not be put off, not finishing things before it's too late to do anything... So much left unfinished. I did not wish to place this burden on you Harry, but things are progressing faster than expected, and we are out of time. The Dark Lord has arisen. Only the Supreme Wizard has the power to stop him, and I have faced him and others bearing the title before, but I can no longer defeat him, I am too weak and my time is nearly here. Unopposed he will lay waste to the entire world, magical and mundane alike, without a care for innocents only for power, giving neither quarter nor mercy. Only you can stop him... my successor."

Harry was no fool, but he wasn't heartless either, and he recognized a "Last Request" when he saw one. Finally, feeling with his heart rather than bothering to think this out, he asked quietly, "Why me?"

"It has always been you, Harry. I... wanted to wait until you were older, more prepared, more ready. But there is no time. Never enough time," the wizard seemed to shrink in on himself as Harry watched on. "I never wanted things to turn out this way. I just want you to know that, my boy. You were meant to be raised by your loving parents, guided and finding your way to Magic on your own until you earned my attention the way others have in the past. I was... I was too late to save your parents, and I refuse to make the same mistake again, waiting too long for something that may never come now."

"Sir?" Harry's voice quivered, unsure of what he was being told.

"It is a long story, young Harry," the wizard sighed again. "Too long to tell now. All I can tell you is that you were always meant to be my successor, my heir. There is no one else, young Harry, because it's always been you."

"But... I..." he stuttered, then asked, "C-could you have saved my parents? Could anyone have?"

The Wizard Shazam shamefully shook his head no. "Once it was done, nothing could bring them back. I saw that they were in danger and I did what I could, sent allies to aid and warn them, but... You see, young Harry, it was the last incarnation of the Dark Lord that killed your parents. I did my best, but I was too late. I was able to save you, but not them. I release your memories now."

Harry gasped as it all suddenly became so clear to him now. The nightmare, the same dream he had every night. He finally remembered the rest of it! After... after his parents had been killed, the monster with red eyes had entered the room and started searching for him. When baby Harry started crying over his parents being 'hurt', the monster had found him and was going to kill him. But before that could happen, an old man in bright red and gold robes appeared in a flash of lightning and thunder and fought the monster. The monster was slain and the blue eyed old man took the baby Harry and flew him to England and the doorstep of his Aunt and Uncle on Privet Drive. The last thing he remembered after that was the old man casting a spell on him, which Harry only realized by now must have been a block on his memories!

"You... you... you..." he couldn't get the words out, but looking upon the old wizard now, take away the beard and the long hair, and it was the same old man that fought the monster that killed his parents. "You saved me. From... that monster, didn't you?" The wizard nodded his head sadly.

"There really wasn't anything you could've done?" Harry cried, tears spilling down his cheeks.

"Even with all I know now," the wizard explained, "with all the power that I possess, however much I wish with all my heart, there was nothing I could have done differently. And interfering with what has already come to pass is yet another Rule of Magic, and is strictly forbidden. If going into the past or the future was _meant_ to happen, then under Magic's Law, it will happen, but changing what was... is impossible. I'm sorry, young Harry. I truly am."

"So," Harry sniffled a bit, wiping his nose and eyes with a handkerchief, "You said that, the Dark Lord is the monster that killed my parents? And that, it's back?"

"I'm afraid so," the wizard answered. "Do not worry however. You will not be alone, I can promise you that. Your powers will guide you and give you what you need, when you need it. All of Magic and the magical community will answer to your call, and even the gods themselves will listen to you should you need it. Still... you must do the job, so to speak, and protect people, and guard the Seven Deadly Sins Of Man. I know you can do this, Harry. I saw you, when you rescued the girl, not even bothering to ask for thanks. That is the makings of a true hero, and it is time you received your inheritance."

Harry stared at the old wizard, confused and hesitant, but in his heart he already knew his answer and a part of him was cheering for it. Finally, he took a deep breath, and asked, "What do I have to do?"

"Say my name."

He was confused, not sure what he meant at first until a flash of magical insight swept through him, and he just _knew_. With this knowledge, more than just the man's name, but also the magical contract he was entering into, he spoke the name with a shout.

"Shazam!"


	2. Captain Marvel

Chapter 2:Marvel

_Rock of Eternity_

The lightning bolt had come as big as ever, but when it was gone, in young Harry Potter's place was a titan of power. He stood at six foot eleven – seven foot even. His wild black hair was smoothed back into a slick style. His green eyes blazed with hidden power and knowledge. His weak and childish frame had been replaced by that of a man, and not just any man. From a certain angle and maybe with a side-by-side photograph, one could still see 'Harry' in this adult man, but with allusions and metaphors of gods made men and ancient heroes of old mixed in. Muscles, strength, impressive jawline, he had it all. This was the body of an idealized adult Harry James Potter, and then some.

His clothing had also been changed, from his poorly fit school uniform, he now sported a red and gold ensemble that only enhanced his already impressive features. He wore a deep, crimson red body suit, stretched tight against his bulging muscles. A stunning white, metallic gold-lined cloak draped across his back, held by a gold chain across his neck, the cloak ending just below his waist. A sash of woven gold fibers circled his waist, tied in an intricate knot with bands falling freely from his left hip. His shoes had become heavy-soled boots, colored the same metallic yellow-gold, and across his forearms, bands of solid gold added protection to his arms. The most notable feature, however, was the large emblazoned gold lightning bolt across his chest.

"What... just happened to... me?" the boy-turned-man asked, noting even as he spoke his voice was just as changed as the rest of him. The voice of an adult, of a strong man even.

"What needed to happen... Harry," the old wizard said. "Or perhaps it's best to call you by your new name; Captain Marvel."

"Quickly now, there's not much time left. I'm sorry it had to be this way, but I had no other choice. You will understand it all one day, but for now, what you must understand is that there is a threat to the world. A threat you must face and vanquish before it is too late. To change back, you need only say my name, and again, to transform yourself once more into Captain Marvel." As the Wizard Shazam spoke, a small tremor shook the room where they resided.

"You have many powers beyond mortal man, beyond even those that already have supernatural powers. I wish I could help teach you how to control and learn of them, but there is no time. All my power, all that I have left, is now yours. Unfortunately, that includes my responsibility to safeguard the world against those that would use magic to destroy it. Trust your instincts. Follow your heart. Find the Dark Lord and vanquish him before he can gain too much of a power base." The tremors became shaking, and Captain Marvel looked around, spooked out of his mind.

"I'm sorry to have to burden one so young," the Wizard Shazam mourned. "There was no other option, and we are out of time. Remember, young Harry Potter, none of this was your fault. It was all decided long ago. All you need to concern yourself with... is the future... and stopping... the Dark Lord..."

Almost as though those last words were the trigger it had been waiting for, the shaking culminated in a violent display. The giant rock, which Captain Marvel had not noticed until now, crashed down and squashed that which was beneath it like a bug beneath a boot. Unfortunately, it had been the Wizard Shazam and his throne that had sat beneath the Rock of Eternity.

"NO!!" Captain Marvel screamed. "NOOOOO! Please, oh god, no, no no no no no no no NO NO NO!"

He surged forward with amazing speed, his muscles bulging as he worked to clear the wreckage and move the giant rock from its final resting place, but it refused to move. Not that his strength wasn't working, or that he hadn't noticed he was a _lot_ stronger than he should've been, but that the Rock _literally_ refused to move!

Finally, after an enormous effort of trying, Captain Marvel succumbed to the inevitable, and he fell back, tears of mourning and helplessness falling as he cried for the man that he'd just met. He sat there crying, until he remembered the old wizard's words, and what all that he'd been told, before the Rock had fallen.

"Find and stop the Dark Lord," he said as he got to his feet. A feeling that was unfamiliar to Harry Potter suddenly exploded within Captain Marvel's being. A feeling of rage, anger, sorrow, and wrath. A feeling of vengeance. "The last request of my predecessor. Find, stop, and vanquish the Dark Lord. Vanquish the thing that killed my parents. Oh, I'm gonna vanquish him all right. I'm gonna vanquish him so hard, his next three lifetimes are going to be feeling it!" He surged to his feet and wiped his tears away.

"First step... finding him. But... how?" the newly inherited superhero asked himself. Surprisingly, his mind provided him with an answer almost immediately. "Scry, using the Pool of Viewing. Look for any uses of dark magic and anything that would match with the Dark Lord's signature. How in Hades do I know all this stuff?"

Momentarily stunned, he shook it off and stepped back before waving his hand over the space where the pool had been before. It reappeared instantly, showing a satellite view of the British Isles. After only a moments concentration, the pool immediately began to zoom in on London, until a pinpoint of black was highlighted near downtown in one of the back alleys.

"Found you," he almost growled.

Going with his instincts, as he'd been told to do, he jumped up, and was nearly shocked back onto his backside when he found himself hovering above the pool, yet he remained aloft and in full control. "Wicked," he smirked to himself, before, continuing with following his instincts, he then dove into the pool head first.

_London, England_

The transition for Captain Marvel from the Rock of Eternity, to the alleyway where he'd tracked the dark magic to was the same as walking through an open doorway from one room to the next, or from inside to the outside. Nothing really special or different about it, beyond the scope of the change that is. To everyone else, it seemed that London was experiencing quite a bit of cloudless thunder and lightning today. Each one either taking away or dropping off a person with every echoing boom.

"All right, now where is...?" Captain Marvel started to ask himself, only to be interrupted by a loud scream. A woman's scream, which seemed to be coming from the alley he was flying over.

Without hesitation, he quickly dove through the air as fast as he dared. Hey, he was in the middle of modern downtown London, and he knew that if he flew as fast has he could, not only would all the glass shatter from the sonic boom, but a few streets and concrete buildings might be torn to shreds from the force of his passing. So, instead of instantly getting there, he got there in less than two seconds.

What he witnessed was something straight out of the comic books. Or anime, given the uncanny realism of the sight. A large demon, for it could be nothing else, stood threateningly close to a young woman, who cowered against the alley wall.

The demon stood at just over nine feet tall, had pitch black skin, even in broad daylight, though currently it stood in shadow. It's features included a wide mouth filled with glistening black fangs, large muscles, blood red eyes, distorted face that included horn-like protrusions at the top, and a series of fin-like spikes starting at it's crown and going all the way down to the tip of it's four-foot prehensile tail. It's hands had only four fingers, yet each was curved and razor sharp so it was better to call them talons. It's feet were double-jointed like a dinosaur's, yet it only had two talons instead of three or four. It also growled like a hungry lion and even from a distance away, he could tell that it's breath smelled like a whole bunch of something crawled in and died.

The young woman was, by best description, a goth. She had bright purple-dyed hair, lots of jewelry, and was wearing a mismatch of clothes including a ballerina's tutu, leather biker jacket, fishnet top, ribbed corset, four inch high heels and striped stockings. She was also, quite clearly, scared out of her mind.

"Get away from her!" Captain Marvel called out, hoping to distract the demon from attacking her.

Surprisingly, it worked. The ugly demon reeled back at his shout, further recoiling when the crimson and gold clad superhero punched it in the face, forcing it to let go of the young woman. Captain Marvel did not hesitate in grabbing the demon by the only point where it was safe to do so, though he couldn't begin to say _how_ he knew that, and tossing it back into the shadows. He knew it was stronger in those shadows, but at least it was away from the victim.

He turned to her, his eyes full of command and conviction, and ordered, "Go! Don't worry, I'll take care of it. Go!" She ran off, screaming her way down the street. Captain Marvel hoped she would be okay, but for right now, he had more pressing concerns.

His face etched in steely-eyed resolve, he stepped into the shadows, knowing only one of them would not be stepping out of them by the time this was through. He was counting on it being himself.

Unfortunately, it turned out that there was a whole clan of shadow-walker demons waiting there for him. Unfortunate for the demons that is.

"Heh-heh-heh," the one he'd punched earlier chuckled evilly. All of the demons had surrounded him by this point, their eyes glowing red in the shadows, their claws gleaming from the limited light available. "I don't know who you _think _you are strongman, but flying around in a costume isn't like what it used to be. Not only do you still get killed just as dead, but now you get laughed at while we eat your entrails! Yah-Hah hah hah HAH HAH HAH!"

"I want his fingers!" one of the demons cried out, sparking a competition to see who would get 'what'.

"I want his toes! And his ears!" another cried, and soon the whole alley was echoing with various body parts, some not worth mentioning while others were just plain disgusting.

Captain Marvel just stood there impassively, waiting for the demons to make the first move. They were Malckeavailee breed, an offshoot of the original Shadow Demons from the Realm of Darkness, Earth Demons with physical forms and limited spiritual influence or powers, sensitive to light and stronger than a trained ox in overall physical strength, but with the speed and reaction time of a cougar, making them fairly dangerous in groups greater than three. More than that and one would need an army or a serious advantage to take them out.

Captain Marvel counted 33 in the alley around him. He walked up to the one that he'd punched and had just mocked him. The demon scowled at this strange human's indifference and lack of fear. If they weren't so cocky, they might have recognized the anger brewing in his eyes at that moment. He then slammed his right fist into the demon's head, it's head slamming around from the blow, silencing all the chuckling in the alley. The red and gold clad superhero then swung his left fist hard into the demon's gut, actually throwing it up off the ground and into the air so that it's inverted head was now level with his hard green eyes.

"For the record," he said as the demon hung there in the air, "I'm called Captain Marvel."

With even greater strength than before, he struck with both fists into the demon's chest, driving it to the ground and forcing it to explode in dark energy as it was vanquished on the spot. Thirty-two left.

"Who's next?" he said casually, even as they all growled and dove upon him like a pack of wolves.

Three punches each, a total of 96 hits, not counting the last few he had to drag back into the alley, and altogether less than ten minutes later Captain Marvel flew out of the dark alley, which was now demon free, and back into the sky over London. Unfortunately, the newly christened hero was now more frustrated than satisfied as he was quite certain that while the demons he'd just vanquished were of the Dark Lord's creation, were not directly related to him in any way. In fact it wouldn't be a stretch at all to say that they were less than foot soldiers to him, pawns of pawns even.

Which left him right back at square one in searching for the evil creature he was looking to vanquish.

He opened his mind and senses to ways of tracking down this Dark Lord, plans and options passing through his mind by the thousands as each second passed, but each idea he came up with were all dead ends. The only explanation that he could come up with was that the Dark Lord was suppressing his magical signature behind containment and protection wards. How he knew that in the first place, he couldn't begin to explain, but he couldn't deny the knowledge being there.

Before he could actually go about trying even the simplest of his plans however, he heard another scream from not too far away. Immediately he flew through the air and using senses that he'd never imagined having before, quickly zeroed in on the source. By that point a few more screams had joined the first.

It was at the First National Bank of London, a large and ancient building that had a large percentage of the nation's currency pouring through it on a daily basis. An armored van had pulled up just in front of the steps and six heavily armed and armored gunmen stepped out and started firing wildly into the crowd and all across the street as they steadily made their way up the steps into the bank.

By the time Captain Marvel got there, three of them were already in the bank and shooting the place up, subduing the hostages and taking out the guards there. The tall magical hero floated there above the bank for a minute, fear entering his green eyes as he looked down on something he'd only ever seen in movies or on TV before. These... criminals were hurting people, all just to satisfy their own greed!

But, he thought to himself, he had a mission to complete. He had to find the Dark Lord and defeat him _now_! But... those people... who would help them?

The police, a cold, logical part of him stated.

The police weren't there, and more people would get hurt before they resolved the situation. He was already there and he could resolve it right now! And wasn't that what heroes were supposed to do? Wasn't he supposed to be some kind of superhero now?

Solomon, the magical force of great wisdom, the cold logical part of Captain Marvel's mind, remained silent. Achilles, the magical force of immense courage on the other hand had plenty to say.

Captain Marvel glared down at the bank and was moving at the speed of thought. He crashed through the front of the bank and knocked out the three stragglers at the front, and for good measure took away their weapons. Unfortunately in that time, the other three gunmen turned around and unleashed hell upon the crimson and gold clad superhero.

Captain Marvel bravely stood to face what he was sure was his death, he was still a young boy and one who knew bullets could kill and was most definitely afraid of being killed by them, but he stood strong and did not flinch as the bullets hit. Well, after they hit he did flinch, but mostly in surprise. He barely felt a thing. He felt the impacts, but just that, his skin didn't even bounce from the projectile's impact while the bullets fell away like they'd hit a titanium steel shell!

A full three minutes later, the gunmen had expended their entire supply of ammunition and could only stare in shock and dismay as the man they'd just shot with enough firepower to lay waste to an entire army calmly stood there and brushed some dust off his crimson red and metallic gold uniform. In a flash of red and gold movement, the gunmen were all knocked unconscious and tied up for the police to pick up, who had just arrived at the scene.

Seeing nothing else he could do, Captain Marvel quickly left, taking to the air like a red and gold bolt of lightning. His day wasn't over yet though, as there were at least a dozen more crises happening all over the city, some domestic or human criminals, while a few were demonic or magical in origin.

Finally, as he was flying past Big Ben for the third time, he realized the time and his eyes went comically wide as he exclaimed, "Oh no! I'm late for school!"

Wasting no more time, and shooting through the air like a living thunderbolt, he flew to his school and aimed for the spot behind some of the dumpsters behind the main building. That he sometimes was known to be 'dumped' back there by the school bullies on occasion was fortunate as it would make explaining why he was so late much easier.

Once Captain Marvel was on the ground, he cast one last look around before looking to the heavens and, his same instincts of before guiding him as much as anything, cried out, "SHAZAM!"

While there were a few clouds here and there, there certainly were no thunderheads nearby, so while people looked curiously at the sound of thunder and maybe even at the lightning bolt striking down somewhere near a London school building, they quickly passed it off as the sounds of the city depending on wherever they were at the time.

Harry Potter looked down at himself in amazement after the lightning had left, changing him back to normal. He wasn't even singed! His clothes, shoes, even backpack were all exactly as they had been from the moment he was taken from the street to the Rock of Eternity. He almost thought that the whole thing might have just been a dream of some kind, but at the same time he just knew in his heart that it was all real. A man had died in front of him, granting him a great gift and asking only that he use it wisely and to protect the world from this Dark Lord.

Stepping out from behind the dumpsters and racing into the school building for his morning classes, Harry promised once more to do just that. After all, what else would the power of Shazam be used for?


	3. Harry Potter

Chapter 3: Harry

_Hillary Ogden Schwarts Public School_

_London, England_

Harry raced through the old building, up stairwells and down twisting hallways. He was trying to get to his primary class room in time for the morning break. He'd already gone to the main office, and was considerably lucky overall in that there had been a bit of confusion earlier in the day. Apparently some accident had occurred just outside the school building so classes had been delayed while they'd done a full attendance and waited for the mess outside to be cleared up. So, technically, he wasn't late until the end of the morning break period, after which classes would resume as normal.

Harry attended a public primary school, though it had been offered to him to go to his cousin's private school, his Aunt and Uncle willing to pay for it, he had declined the offer and stayed where he was. Besides, all his friends were here and it had been good exercise for him to run to the Station every morning. From the station it was only a five block run to Hogwarts.

That's what all the kids called it anyway. The adults and teachers insisted on referring to the place as the "Hillary Ogden Schwarts Public Education Institution", but age and random street vandalism had knocked down the 'illary', 'den' and 'Sch' from the front of the school building, thus encouraging grades one and above to call the place "Hogwarts" much to their teachers dismay.

Luck was on Harry's side that morning, or so it seemed, as he entered the classroom and handed the teacher the note from the office, supposedly explaining the reason for his tardiness (they believed he'd been caught up in the freak accident outside and were just glad he wasn't dead, or injured enough to sue anybody), a good five minutes before the break the teacher would've ended it. Once she gave him the go ahead, he went to his desk and put away the books in his bag and spent the short remainder of the break relaxing from the tension of his very busy morning.

"Harry," a whispered hiss came from his right.

He turned and saw one of his best friends sitting there, looking at him expectantly, arms crossed and a shrewd expression on their face. He smiled and said nothing for the moment.

"Harry!" Hermione Granger hissed at him again, adding a glare to her already disapproving stare.

"Yes Hermione?" he grinned and leaned back to answer her.

"Why," she stressed each word, apparently feeling extra fussy today, "are you late? You almost missed class, walking in five minutes before the end of the break! And if there hadn't been something going on, you would be more than three hours late now!"

"I know," he kept grinning.

"Harry!" she hissed again, where if they'd been outside or anywhere but in a school building, she would be screeching at him by now.

"I... was kind of caught up in that accident, and somehow found myself between the dumpsters behind the school," he 'reluctantly' told her. His true hesitancy in saying this was because he hated lying to one of his best friends, but she interpreted it, as he half-knew she would, as being embarrassed for being bullied again.

"Oh Harry," she whispered, this time with much more sympathy.

"I'm OK, just a bit stinky," he shrugged. Then he faced forward as Mrs. McGonagall stepped forward to begin class. Apparently the notice had already been sent out that the break was ending over the intercom, because everyone else in the room matched Harry's actions the moment they noticed their teacher step up.

The stern looking middle-aged woman looked out over her square-frame spectacles at her class and did a quick mental role check, pleased to see that this time, after earlier that morning, everyone was present. "Now then children," she began her standard lecture and continued on with the day's scheduled activities.

An hour and a half later, Harry and Hermione's class let out for lunch, and the two friends took their boxed lunches and went to their regular spot on the roof. They were soon joined by the rest of their group of friends. Including the one other person they called their best friend, Ronald Wesley, a tall (and getting taller) redhead that was only a few months older than Harry. Besides Ron, there was Neville Lachlan, the twins Padma and Pavarti Patil, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, and then the younger years who were all in the grade behind them, Colin Creevey, Lavender Brown, and Ron's younger sister Ginny Wesley.

"Let's have it, Mister Potter," Hermione practically demanded the moment they were all settled in their spots, "Why were you so late this morning? It's not like you, even if you were caught up in whatever happened this morning."

Harry shrugged and purposely took a big bite from his sandwich to hold off answering for as long as possible while he thought up an answer as fast as he could. Unfortunately, "Solomon" wasn't of much help at the moment as all that was coming to mind was a memory charm to make them forget about his being late. He wasn't about to do that to his friends! Leaving it up to just "Harry" to come up with the answer. Too bad he was a horrible liar, he could use a good story right about then.

They all waited patiently, more or less, for Harry to answer Hermione's question, though Ron was eating his own lunch while they waited, he was still listening for Harry's story.

Finally he decided to go with a version of the truth. Without being the truth of course.

"You guys heard there was some kind of accident this morning, right?" he asked first off. They all nodded, so he continued. "Well, turns out a transformer blew just across the street. All I remember seeing was a big flash of light and sound and it felt like someone hit me with a mallet on my crown."

Hermione and the girls all gasped in worry and concern. The rest of the boys opened their mouths in shock but said nothing. Harry kept his eyes downcast, staring at his lunch in hopes no one would see the lie on him. It helped that his emotions were still raw enough that the next part was easy to convince them was true.

"I didn't know where I was when I came to, or how I'd gotten there," still the truth. "There was this old man there, sitting there staring at me when I had enough sense to look around. He... told me he was dying. We talked for a bit about some strange stuff that didn't make a whole lot of sense. Then he... then he..." Harry choked a bit and coughed for a bit, tears springing from his eyes. "He died. Right in front of me. One second he was just sitting there talking to me. Then the next..." he trailed off and didn't continue.

The girls were all openly crying and the other guys were looking away and 'wiping dust out of their eyes' for a few minutes after it. Harry didn't care who saw his tears, or what they thought of him for it. The good news at least, was that they stopped asking him questions about the morning, nobody wanted to bring it up anymore after just that much. Like for example, why he wasn't _still_ in the "hospital" and why there weren't any signs of electrical burns anywhere on him if he'd really been electrocuted by a blown transformer. He decided not to point out those minor points and just be thankful.

"Anyway," he said, quickly changing the subject, "I had to get examined, everyone wanted to make sure I was OK first of all, then I answered some questions, and seeing nothing wrong with me, they took me back to school and dropped me off."

"Wow," most of the girls all said in awe.

"How come you didn't get to go home? Less time at school the better I always say," Ron said out loud.

He was promptly slapped across the back of the head by Hermione. "Ronald! If you can't say something nice, you should not say anything at all!"

"Ow, sorry," the redhead immediately apologized, rubbing his sore head.

Harry laughed along with the rest of the guys, just glad it wasn't them. Then he said, "Well, to answer your question Ron, I wasn't hurt at all, and both my aunt and uncle are working, so no one was home. The adults in charge felt it better for me to be at school than at home by myself. Especially after..." he trailed off.

"That's OK Harry," Hermione tried to comfort him, putting her hand gently on his shoulder.

"Thankfully, I didn't miss anything. Did anybody else not show up yet?" he asked.

"Just Mister Snape," Hermione dutifully reported. "He showed up an hour late, but that was still earlier than you got here. I don't know what his reason for being late was, but the Headmistress seemed to accept his story. I don't know much more about it than that I'm afraid."

"Oh, and Mister Quirrel was late too," Susan added.

Harry felt a tingle go through his head, sort of like static electricity that didn't actually hurt, and he felt a whisper in the back of his mind. Not words exactly, but feelings, thoughts in raw form. About the _Citizenship_ teacher, Mister Quirrel. (AN: For Americans and non-Europeans, the _Citizenship_ course is [from what I've learned about it] similar to _Social Studies_ classes in North America.)

"Why was he late? Mister Quirrel I mean," Harry asked.

Unfortunately, Susan just shrugged and reinforced it by saying, "I don't know. I just heard from Mrs. McGonagall that he was late, and when he finally got here, she said he was over half an hour late. Nothing much else than that. Sorry."

"No, it's OK, I was just curious," Harry said, while trying to hide the sinking feeling that something _was_ wrong, though he could not put his finger on it.

Suddenly, the bell rung, signaling the end of lunch, and they all quickly hurried to put away their trash and lunchboxes and get to their classrooms. Harry went along with the rest of them, unsure about a lot of things, but having no real direction to go in for the moment. So he went to class like he did every day, at least until he had something else to do.

"_Hogwarts"_

_After School_

Harry waved goodbye to his friends as they got onto the school buses. Harry, as usual, walked to the Underground station and planned on taking the train home. That plan lasted until he got to the end of the block and came across the one person he honestly never expected to see again. The little blond girl that he'd rescued from being crushed by a truck just this morning!

"You…! But I…?" he trailed off then asked with more surety, "Who are you? What's your name? Mine is…"

"I know who you are," she answered in an ethereal sounding voice. "The Wizard is dead. Long live the champion." She giggled when he stared wide-eyed at her.

She was elfin thin, and looked like a child, anywhere between ages 5 and 10. She had long, flowing blond hair, silver-gray eyes, and pale white skin. She wore simple robes, like something a witch or a wizard from a story would wear, but it looked natural on her. They were also a vivid bright day-glow orange in color.

"Who are you?" Harry asked again, with much more authority in his voice this time.

"You may know me as Luna," she told him. "Luna Lovegood. I am, or I should say I _was_ in the employ of the Sorcerer Supreme of this planet, the Ultimate Wizard and Avatar of Magic Itself on this plane of existence. Since he's dead now, I am free to do what I wish. And what I wish is to never be compelled as I had been by that… _man_ ever again! That means that I must ensure that you never become his heir!"

"Uh… little late for that," Harry shrugged sheepishly.

Luna just smiled and stepped forward. With each step, she seemed to age two years, until by the time she was right in front of him, she was a very attractive adult in her mid-twenties, the prime of her life. Harry gulped and looked up nervously at the ethereal and beautiful blond woman before him.

"Wh-what are you?" he stuttered in asking.

She smiled, and then back handed him with her right hand. He felt the force and then the next thing he knew he was flying through the air until he crashed painfully against the brick wall of the building behind him. Thankfully the force put behind that blow was _not_ enough to send him flying _through_ the wall, otherwise he would certainly be dead by now.

"GAAAHHHH!" he screamed, and moaned as he tried to pick himself up. "Wh-wh-why are you doing this? What are you?!"

"Well, since you obviously don't know by now," Luna smirked, "I am what your kind have labeled a Moon Nymph. I'm the daughter of the goddess of the moon and a spirit of nature. And I have been enslaved by that meddlesome old coot for _twelve centuries_! I'm not about to be passed on to his heir, who not only isn't worthy of his power, but is nothing more than a _child_! A _human_ child at that!"

For a second there, Harry thought he'd detected a trace of a French accent in her voice, but he couldn't be sure and chalked it up to him having a concussion or something. He decided that enough was enough.

"Sh-sha…" he saw black around the edges of his vision, creeping in closer, and it was hard to concentrate on anything. He was about to pass out.

No! He silently screamed to himself. I won't let it end like this! Not before I've even begun!

With sudden and surprising strength found only in the young, Harry's head snapped up and he shouted to the heavens, "SHAZAM!"

Luna, despite her magical advantages, was too late to do a thing, as before her very eyes, the broken little boy before her was struck by a magical thunder bolt, and when it vanished, the Champion of Magic was standing in his place. "Oh sh—!"

"You said it," the red-gold clad hero cut her off with a right hook to match her earlier blow against him.

She, however, _did_ fly through the brick wall he knocked her into, and the next two after it. Floating with cloak flying dramatically behind him, Captain Marvel flew over to the desperate Moon Nymph and hovered over her prone form. She had reverted to her child-like form, but Captain Marvel did not dare to lower his guard. Then again, there really wasn't much a mere nymph could do against someone with the Strength of Hercules and the Power of Zeus.

Slowly, Luna opened her eyes and looked up at the Champion of Magic and sighed. She picked herself up and got onto her knees before the Heir. "I, Luna Lovegood, Daughter of—"

"Stop," Captain Marvel interrupted her. Somehow, he knew what she was about to do, and given her reactions so far, and what she had told him, in his core he knew he couldn't let her do this. He wasn't a monster that took sentient beings prisoner simply because they were useful to him.

Luna looked up, startled. In her experience with powerful wizards, and there had been plenty in her millennia of lifetime, there were only two things they did with nymphs. They usually preferred one, and if that couldn't happen for some reason, they fell on the second by default. If they couldn't enslave the nymph, they destroyed her and used her body for parts in spell components.

Captain Marvel waited until he was sure she wasn't about to start speaking again, then he landed and turned away from her. "Go," he told her.

The blond child startled and looked up at the magical titan's back. "Wh-what…?"

"You heard me," he snapped. "Go. I have no need for what you're offering at this time, and while I'm no oracle, I would like to believe that I will never need _that_ at all. You are freed from your previous oaths by the death of my predecessor, and I hold no compulsion over you in any form. Go where you like, do what you wish, and don't bother hanging around to see if I'm serious or not. With no oath binding you, I cannot summon you back to bind you anew. Freedom is what you wished for, now you have it. Go."

Luna gulped suddenly and tears filled her eyes. On a starry-eyed child, the effect was very potent.

"My-milord," she sobbed, still on her knees. "Please! Please don't send me away! I… I was only in jest! It was a joke! Punish me however you wish, but please, don't cast me from your sight!"

Captain Marvel turned sharply back to the young-looking creature, surprise evident in his entire form.

"I-I, I was… testing you, milord! A test to see if you were worthy of…"

"Stop," he commanded. She silenced immediately.

"Explain," he ordered, crossing his huge arms over his massive lightingbolt-covered chest.

"…" she couldn't speak for a few moments, and then finally found her voice. "I… exchanged my services for protection with the original Wizard, milord. Protection from those jealous and… resentful of my, well of my nature. I grew… frustrated over time, however. I was being used as a spy and a lure most of the time, my true abilities being squandered. And then for a time I was used as a human whore. For a nymph though, that's actually quite amusing and somewhat satisfying. Eventually, I-I, well I had to do some things that even I found distasteful, and the Wizard ignored my protests, focusing entirely on the Greater Good. I grew to resent him after that. And this morning was somewhat of the last straw in my patience with him."

"I had thought that with him dead, I was as good as dead, so in my folly, milord, it occurred to me that I may be able to afford myself some of the same protection I have been so used to by… by disposing of the Heir. None that would target me would dare to if they thought that I had taken down the Champion of Magic by myself. I apologize, milord, I…"

"Stop," Captain Marvel raised his hand, and the blond immediately ducked her head submissively.

"Your protection remains intact," he told her after thinking some things over. "The agreement was with my predecessor, and it occurs to me that while there was a statute of limitations on your half of the agreement, the exact wording was that the Wizard Supreme would protect you for all of your days and you would serve him for all of his. The protection you speak of lasts until you ultimately pass on from this world, but your service in payment was only to the one that made the first agreement, and he has passed on. I say again, you are free, and you are still protected. Go."

Luna looked up in wide-eyed shock. Then, before he could even say another word, she vanished in a sprinkle of silver moonbeams.

Captain Marvel let out a sigh of relief, glad that was over with.

Just as he was about to change back to Harry though, something slammed into his back and knocked him into the ground. Literally.

Whatever it had been, it wasn't done with him, as before he could pick himself up, it threw him from the ground directly into the side of a building. Then, after a couple of sharp blows to his head, it threw him back to the ground, then immediately into the air, and then another heavy blow blasted him into another crater in the pavement.

When it seemed to have taken a moment to breathe, Captain Marvel shook his head to clear the disorientation he felt, and then slowly and steadily got to his feet. Achilles screamed a silent, wordless warning, and the red and gold clad hero reacted with the speed of Mercury. He caught the next blow centimeters before it connected and held it steady. Looking up, anger burning in his green eyes, Captain Marvel observed his assailant before attacking with all his strength and power.

He didn't even get that good a look at whatever it was as it went flying down the alley to crash into a couple of dumpsters, except that it was definitely a demon. Though he could tell that much just by the smell. Brimstone.

When the creature got back it it's feet, Captain Marvel was already in the air, flying towards it, fists clenched and read. He had ample time to look it over now, and took the opportunity to do so. It stood just over seven feet, had green shark-like skin, but was built more like a humanoid dinosaur, velociraptor to be specific. It's eyes, however, were blood-red pupils, slit like a snakes or reptiles. Solomon immediately identified it as _Duramonill_, the dark servant of the most powerful demons of the underworld. A message-runner for the dark forces, when the message involved death and violence anyway.

Something that immediately drew Captain Marvel's full attention, however, was that Duramonill had been off the market for the past thirty plus years, due to the simple fact that he'd sworn himself in service to the Dark Lord. And what he'd sworn upon wasn't something to take lightly. Which meant unless the Dark Lord had willingly freed this demon lackey from his vow, he was even now in service to the Dark Lord.

What's more interesting, the Champion of Magic thought to himself as he flew closer to the demon, Duramonill can only step onto the earthly plane if he's been summoned to it, and there are not many that can pull that off. Which leaves only one conclusion, the Dark Lord had summoned Duramonill for something, and seeing how the first thing he did was attack Captain Marvel, it was pretty clear what the message was.

"Wait—!" the green demon put up its arms to ward off the hero's attack.

One centimeter from having his fist cave in the dark creature's skull, Captain Marvel's fist stopped cold. Before anything else could happen though, he pulled it back and put his face where his fist had been less than a second before.

"Talk. Fast," he ordered.

"I-I-I b-bring a message from the D-Dark Lord...!" the demon spoke with a Southern English accent, making him sound like he was from Central London.

"If it is simply that he knows I'm here, I figured that part out already. Where is he?" Captain Marvel spoke harshly.

"N-no, the message is, is, is..." Duramonill gulped when he caught the look in the red and gold clad hero's eyes. "Is that... _he's_ here, and that he doesn't care what you do or try to do. Be-because, you can't stop him. He's—urk!"

"Watch me," Captain Marvel growled in the demon messenger's face, grabbing him by the throat and squeezing tight. A minute and a half later, the creature's head popped off and it's demonic soul was sent back to the underworld from whence it came.

"Message received. Bastard," Captain Marvel whispered as the black smoke from the demon's vanquishing slowly dissipated in the air around him. He looked up into the sky, glaring at the unknown face of the one that had killed his parents and been responsible for the death of his predecessor. "I'm coming for you, no matter what. And I _will_ stop you."

Feeling too emotional to really go home at the moment, Captain Marvel took off onto the sky and worked himself ragged in fighting evil for the rest of the day. From demonic and magical, to criminal and mundane, if there was anything he could do to stop it from happening or to help the people suffering, he didn't quit. It was close to midnight by the time he finally went home, held up entirely by the magic of Atlas.

"SHAZAM!" Captain Marvel called as he landed softly in the backyard of his home. A bolt of lightning shot down from the clear night sky and revealed an exhausted Harry Potter. It was all the young boy could do to clamber up the stairs to his room, change into his pajamas, and climb into bed. He was asleep before his head even hit the pillow.


	4. Interlude: Harry's Dream

Interlude: _Harry's Dream_

"_Oh, hush thee, my baby, Thy sire was a knight, Thy mother a lady, Both lovely and bright; The woods and the glens, From the towers which we see, They all are belonging, Dear baby, to thee. Oh, hush thee, my baby, Thy sire was a knight, Oh, hush thee, my baby, So bonnie, so bright. Oh, fear not the bugle, Tho' loudly it blows, It calls but the warders That guard thy repose; Their bows would be bended, Their blades would be red, Ere the step of a foeman draws near to thy bed. Oh, hush thee, my baby, Thy sire was a knight_,(*)" the red haired woman sung, holding her dark haired son in her arms.

They stood alone in a nursery, a small room with only enough room for maybe three people, one of which would have to sit in the rocking chair which was placed next to the crib against the wall. The walls and furniture were all brightly colored in various shades of red and yellow, save for the stuffed toys, which were as many colors as the rainbow.

"I love it when you sing to him," a voice spoke softly behind her.

The woman spun and almost cried out, save that she'd only just lulled her son to sleep, or so she believed. "James!" she whispered harshly. "Don't sneak up on me like that. I almost woke Harry."

"Sorry, my Lady," James stepped forward and first kissed his wife, and then the dark haired mop of his son's head, a feature that they shared. Except for the eyes, James would have sworn that his son Harry would one day grow to look just like him. Harry had his mother's beautiful green eyes, and that was what he liked best about the two of them. He could spend all day just staring into those eyes.

"Stop it," his wife blushed. "Not in front of the baby."

"But my dear Lily, how do you think the baby got here in the first place?" his grin spoke of mischief.

"Through several hours of extremely painful labor," she glared at him, effectively quelling the mischief.

James cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably. "Well, I..."

He was interrupted by a sudden and very loud noise. A noise that both adults recognized and immediately filled them with great fear. It was their perimeter alarm, and a very unique one at that. It didn't exactly go off when a squirrel ran across the yard or anything.

"I-I'll check it out," James told Lily, struggling to be brave in front of his wife, "Stay here with Harry."

"James!" Lily called, even as her husband left the small room.

Turning off the lights, she slowly stepped out into the hallway and listened closely for the disturbance. Just as suddenly as it had started, the alarm cut itself off. Lily almost dared to hope, when the entire house shook a bare moment before there was an explosion downstairs. James appeared at the top of the stairs a heartbeat later, screaming.

"Oh god! By the gods, Lily! It's _Him_! He's here! Grab the baby and run!" he shouted at her as he ran down the hallway.

"No! James, I won't leave you! We-we can fight him together!" she screamed almost desperately.

Amazingly, young Harry was still quiet in her arms, though his sparkling green eyes were wide open and awake. Neither of his parents seemed to notice this as James hurriedly shoved Lily back into the nursery and then closed, locked and barricaded the door shut behind them.

"The... the house is surrounded, by... by I don't know what!" James gasped as he shoved the crib and chair against the door in efforts to keep it closed. "Lily, will... will he come?"

"He promised us protection, but..." Lily didn't finish her answer. James didn't bother asking what was wrong as he heard it too. Heavy foot-falls, echoing up the stairs as what they feared came ever nearer.

James fought against his panic and then remembered Harry in Lily's arms.

"Lily," he hissed as quiet as he could, "We both know why he's here, why he's doing this. We... we don't have a choice any more. We have to..."

"_No_!" Lily's hand came up protectively over Harry.

James immediately shook his head and hissed for her to be quiet. He quickly finished what he was about to say. "We have to _protect_ Harry at all costs. I have no doubt that... _he_ will be here soon, but... but probably not soon enough. We have to, to..."

Lily closed her eyes, a few tears leaked out. Silently, she nodded and hugged her husband for probably the last time. "We have to protect Harry," she agreed.

"Hide him," James ordered after taking one last moment to embrace his wife and child. "And hide yourself too, I'll try and," he gulped, "hold him off for as long as I can. If he... when he gets past me, try and do the same. Protect our child, Lily."

She nodded, the tears flowing freely. They shared one final kiss, and then James went to the door, while Lily pulled out a pile of blankets and stuffed animals. Grateful that Harry was still being quiet, she kissed him on the forehead, and then placed him at the back of the room and covered him with blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and everything else she could find to protect him.

Before too much longer, something slammed against the door. They tensed in fear. It slammed again, and again, and on the next, the door and everything barricaded against it exploded inwards, showering the room with debris. A monster with glowing red eyes stood outlined in the shadows.

James knew what he had to do, and he was proud to say that in his last moments, he didn't even hesitate..

"GET BACK YOU BASTARD!" James screamed, charging forward with his fists raised.

A shadowed fist slammed against the man and knocked him against the wall of the small room. It was immediately apparent that James was dead where he stood, and more so when the arm retracted and allowed the body to drop unceremoniously to the floor.

"NO! NO! NOOOOO!" Lily screamed, and ran to her husband's body. A heartbeat later, she too charged the shadowed invader, her face a mask of fury and a mother's instinct.

There was a flash of green light that filled the whole room... and she too dropped to the floor, dead.

"NO!" Harry Potter screamed as he awoke from his dream. It was the same as always, but for some reason it was much clearer and he remembered more details. The weirdest part though was that he'd felt like, well like someone else was with him, laying there beside him in the dream. He couldn't explain it, but the feeling of it was unnerving.

Seeing that it was still dark outside, Harry rolled over and tried to get back to sleep. He had school tomorrow after all.

(*)From the proud clans of the Scottish Highlands comes this traditional melody. Only the air Cdul gu lo (Sleep on till dawn) and not the original Scottish verses were used when a dramatization of Sir Walter Scott's Guy Mannering was presented. For this, Sir Walter Scott composed the verses 'Lullaby for an Infant Child'. The history of the Highlands and the interminable wars by which the clans were able o reserve their hard-won independence against overwhelming odds are evoked in this first song for an infant. The dream is of the trumpet and the ideal s manhood. The lines of this lullaby are familiar to us as a nursery rhyme. They are but a curtailed version of Sir Walter Scott's verses. (Both the lyrics and the history paragraph are from the website _Lullabies From The Cradle_ .com/page/Lullabies+%28English%29)


	5. Hogwarts

Chapter 4: Hogwarts

Harry Potter woke up from a dream that he'd had all his life, and yet for the first time ever he remembered more of it than he ever had before. For what seemed like the longest time, he just lay there, staring up at his ceiling, going over the details that had always faded away before, but now he could recall everything with perfect clarity the likes of which almost scared him. Almost, because now he remembered more about his parents and that was something that he would have given almost anything for before.

Finally, he got up, deciding that he'd lazed about enough for one day and quickly went through his daily ritual of getting cleaned, dressed and ready for the day, in particular for school. He had breakfast with his aunt, uncle and cousin and then left without a word being said between them. Halfway down the block though, Harry raced down a dark and deserted alleyway and made sure his backpack was secured around him.

Looking all around to make sure no one was watching him, even subconsciously casting a detection spell for any scrying spells on him, and when he was sure he was in the clear, he then looked to the sky and cried out, "SHAZAM!"

A massive bolt of lightning and a deafening crack of thunder later, and Captain Marvel took to the skies. Within moments though, his magically empowered senses had him tearing through the sky just in time to catch a young woman falling out of a tree with her cat, which she'd been after, in hand. A single moment after that had him at a drug counter store disarming a gang of hoodlums and tying them up with lottery tickets and the owner on the line with the police.

After three or four other emergencies, just in the ten minutes it used to take him to walk to the underground station, Captain Marvel had made it to downtown London. Except he now had a little more than an hour before school started, and London being London, quite a few more emergencies that his senses were telling him about. Not all of them mundane either.

In the Underground and sewers, he sensed an unimaginable number of demons and vampires of every sort, many of which were resting, but plenty more were hunting and killing and doing other things that he needed to put a stop to. In broad daylight, there were people disappearing off the streets, taken in by demonic traps and human crime.

Harry might have once cringed at some of the things he now knew was going on, daily, in his city, and perhaps even felt a need to do something about it, and he certainly wouldn't turn away from it. Still, he wouldn't have been able to do much, not by himself.

Captain Marvel on the other hand, with the wisdom of Solomon and the courage of Achilles, merely grit his teeth and charged in, bound and determined to not turn a blind eye and to effect the change his heart desired. He pushed himself harder than any living being has ever had to push themselves in hundreds if not thousands of years. In that hour, on a Wednesday morning, the impossible happened in old London town, and the world, Britain especially, was shocked by the miracles that took place. Because in the space of a single hour on a Wednesday morning, Captain Marvel stopped, prevented, and corrected every crime that took place, rescued hundreds of people from certain death or worse, vanquished thousands of demons, vampires, and evil unheard of in the light of day, and ultimately put the fear of the Sorcerer Supreme into the Magical Community while letting all of England know that there was a new superhero on the block.

And then Big Ben chimed eight and there was a thunderclap right outside the school of Hogwarts, and Harry Potter walked in and took his seat just as the bell rung and classes started.

Harry actually made it to his Home Room on time, the classroom that students sequestered into before beginning their daily schedules. He sat down at his assigned seating, right between his two best friends, Hermione Granger and Ron Wesley.

"Hey Harry, on time for once, nice!" Ron teased him.

"Good morning Harry, I'm pleased to see that you got here on time today," Hermione primly remarked.

Harry rolled his eyes and laughed. "It was one day. And a freak accident had the school shut down for the day anyway, right? Are you saying all that was my fault too?"

"Well... of course not," Hermione flushed crimson, looking down in shame at her remark. "Still, you're often one of the last to rush in here usually. Even before yesterday's... events."

_True enough_, he supposed. Between the Underground travel and the run from the nearest station to the school, he was often pushing being 'on time' usually and that was on days where he hadn't been late or overly distracted by other things. As it was now, he was plenty distracted, but still managed to get here early enough that it didn't matter.

The friends chatted each other up for the rest of home room, being friends and children, until Mrs. McGonagall arrived and began handing out morning assignments. That was the downside of have a great teacher like Mrs. McGonagall for their Home Room Teacher, she refused to let the class use the hour as a free period to merely socialize and gossip, so she gave them simple assignments, sometimes vocabulary and spelling quizzes, but more often riddles and brain-teasers that kept the quiet and focused on using their brains.

To Harry's utter amazement, however, the moment he received the assignment, he'd already worked it out. Now true, he did have access to the Wisdom and knowledge of Solomon, but he'd also figured out that he only had full unfiltered access to that Wisdom when transformed into Captain Marvel. So why and how could he figure out a puzzle that only last week would have taken him the entire hour, if not longer, to figure out in less than a second.

Harry filled out the answers and turned over his sheet inside of ten seconds and then spent the rest of the hour trying to figure out the puzzle that was his new self. It didn't take quite that long, but eventually he discovered that he could actually feel the separation between 'Harry' and 'Captain Marvel'. Where if her were Captain Marvel at the moment, he was sure the knowledge would have just come straight to him when bidden, it took him over ten minutes to recall information that had shot through his head only that morning when he'd noticed multiple 'lit' areas throughout the city. After wondering what those were, the term '_warded areas_' came to his mind as well as the definition and several examples.

That was it. His mind was warded. Or rather, Captain Marvel's powers were warded, he amended to himself. Anything that he actively accessed and could recall himself doing or thinking about on the other hand, Harry realized that he would still be able to remember. In analyzing his own cognitive abilities over the remaining hour, he likewise came to the conclusion that his IQ had just shot up by about a hundred or more points. Not that he had all the knowledge of the ages (as Harry Potter), and he still wouldn't put himself up against himself as Captain Marvel, intelligence-wise, but he was able to work things out much faster than before.

The _why_ however, that was still eluding him. And he probably wouldn't be able to figure that out himself unless or until he changed back into Captain Marvel and actually sat down to think about it for a while.

Idly he wondered if there were any other leftovers from his being Captain Marvel that he could use now.

_Hogwarts_

_Lunchtime_

It was a typical school day morning for the most part. From Home Room he went to English Class with Mr. Flitwick, then to Science Class with Mr. Snape, before going outside with Mrs. Sprout for P.E. on the roof for some manual labor in moving bags of seeds for the garden she and her Gardening Club maintained there. Then it was back inside for Mathematics with Mrs. McGonagall before breaking for Lunch.

Unfortunately, Harry had forgotten to make his bag lunch today and then forgot to get money for it from his Aunt and Uncle. So he was prepared to either go hungry for the rest of the day, or maybe even change to Captain Marvel and hurry home to pack himself a quick lunch before speeding back in time for afternoon classes. He really didn't want to go hungry after all.

So he went out to the back dumpsters, telling his friends that he was buying his lunch today and that he'd catch up to them when he could (the lunch lines were notorious for taking so long you had exactly enough time to eat on the way to your seat, sit down, get up and put your tray away before having to be at class). Before he got there though, he came across one of the last people he neither expected nor wanted to see.

"Hello," the young blond girl chirped as she skipped along beside him.

"Hullo," he grunted, trying very hard to ignore her, but the way she was skipping round and round him wearing her transparent blue robes were making that impossible.

"Would you like to know something?" she asked as they made their way to the back of the building, behind the dumpsters.

"Not really," he said.

"There are gremlins attacking the subway under the city. The whole messy line is going to tear itself to pieces in a matter of hours, if it takes them that long. Provided of course that the blibbering humdingers I've put on the case keep the train engineers busy long enough so they don't cause a wreck sooner than that."

Harry stopped and turned to look at the latest bane of his existence.

"What are you doing her Luna? Why are you bothering me? I thought we settled matters. You're free to do as you wish, and you're still protected and all that. Look, I'm just hungry and I need to get some food from home that's all..."

"Here," she handed him a half a loaf of bread. "Elvish waybread. That will fill your stomach."

"Uh, thanks?" Harry accepted the piece of bread. Taking a bite, he was pleasantly surprised to feel his hunger vanishing with each bite. In fact he could only eat a total of four bites before feeling quite full.

"As for why I'm here..." the young blond girl ducked her head, her cheeks flushing pink. "I like you."

"Wh-huh?" he dropped his bread.

"Sorry, not like that. Not exactly anyway," she corrected herself. "You gave me a chance, even after I attacked you, and you kept my protection intact despite all that and having every reason to turn me into a slave all over again. So, I decided to help you out a bit. Besides, you're not exactly the type of person one would expect to be connected to the magical underground. You need to know when you're going to be needed."

She glanced at her watch, which was actually just a wrist-mounted sun-dial whose shadows did not match up with the current position of the sun, given they were in a shadowed alleyway. "And I would think that gremlins in the Underground having a party and planning on derailing every train in London would be something you need to know about, right?"

"Uh, right...?" Harry looked around one last time, sighed at the nymph's expectant face and shouted at the sky, "SHAZAM!"

One crack of thunder later, and Captain Marvel was flying for the nearest Underground station.

It didn't take him long to find them.

They stuck to the shadows, but that wasn't exactly hard under ground. They were about a foot and a half tall, bone-thin, had giant ears that made up most of their height, beady red eyes and scaly skin with warts all over. They also had sharp little fangs and talons on their hands and feet. And they were in the subway tearing apart every bit of safety technology they could get their ugly little hands on.

"How am I supposed to...?" he started to ask himself, seeing as how much damage was being caused and if Luna were to be believed, on a city-wide scale too, when the answer suddenly came to him.

It wouldn't be pretty and it would make a huge mess, but in all honesty it would still save a lot of lives in the comparison. Flying through the tunnels at a blazing speed, he went straight for the water ways and along the way tore open every water main along the way. He then punched no less than a hundred holes in the walls between the London Underground and open water. The entire subway system was flooded within the hour and the gremlins, among other demons, vampires and dark creatures, were drowned out, while Captain Marvel went through and rescued any homeless people that were in the wrong place at the wrong time as well as any and all innocent creatures living down there as well.

By flooding those tunnels, not only did he stop all Underground trains from crashing, but he also prevented thirteen different robberies, four of which were bank robberies, fifty two murders, five hundred assaults, and over thirty demon/vampire attacks. For the long term though, the London City government would be out a few hundred thousand in repairing the damages, but likewise that would force them to get repairs done that needed to be done and had been put off for the past decade, not to mention the damage to the aquifers.

When it was all said and done, the city and the press would only be talking about how Captain Marvel saved the city from an accidental flood and the countless people that he had directly saved from disaster. And then when the sabotage to the trains had been discovered (blamed on terrorists of some sort) he was praised for saving the city from the worst train accident that ever was or could have been.

That would all come much later however, and for that afternoon, Captain Marvel's work was done. So he raced back to the school and changed back to Harry and finished the bread that he had left behind, which somehow hadn't gotten dirty at all.

He blamed it on magic.

_London_

_After School_

Harry had gotten back to school just in time for class, and was thankful he'd told his friends he'd been going through the lunch lines today. It worked out perfectly with what everybody knew about the lunch lines and his timely arrival. Afternoon classes were a bit of a bore after racing through the London Underground, rescuing people and flooding the tunnels to rescue the railways from gremlins and all other sorts of nasty things. The History teacher especially, who he typically had right after lunch, nearly put him right to sleep. Thankfully, Professor Binns, he was a real honest Professor and everything too, stopped lecturing them before they fell asleep on him and had them just read from the text books and assigned that chapter's questions for homework.

After that it had been his Citizenship class with Mr. Quirrel. That had been an odd class, because the teacher kept calling on him whenever asking the class questions. He managed to answer most of them, but there were more than a few where he had to look through the book for the answers and was then publicly chastised for not doing the assigned reading. The first couple times the class had laughed at him, and he'd tried to hide his embarrassment, but when the teacher _kept_ calling on him and not even looking at anyone else, they stopped laughing and started wondering what was up with him.

Thankfully it hadn't lasted forever, and the last class of the day was a relief compared to all that. It was Art and Music Class with Ms. Trelawney. She was a... unique teacher, but since her subject was teaching art and music, it rather fit with her role. While she wasn't his absolutely favorite teacher, Harry gladly admitted to liking her more than Quirrel or Binns or Snape.

After school was out, Harry hung out with his friends for a bit, waiting with them for their rides. It had been announced earlier during the school day that the subways were down and that everyone's parents or legal guardians were being contacted to let them know they had to come and pick their children up today. Once all of his friends were on their way home, Harry hurried out of sight and then almost immediately ran into Luna.

"How did you...? Never mind," he shook his head and hurried past her.

"Nice job with the gremlins," she giggled.

"It was all I could think of!" he protested, thinking she was making fun of him.

"No, really, it was a nice job. I doubt the Wizard himself could have done better. Well... he may have just teleported them all into limbo or something, but he was prone to doing things big like that. Your way was much more practical I think."

"Why are you here Luna?" he asked reluctantly, "Is there another crisis or two that Captain Marvel needs to rush off to take care of? Or is there something else that you'd like to attack me for?"

"You're not going to let that go any time soon, are you?" she questioned him wide-eyed.

"I'm barely eleven years old, and even then not until near the end of summer. I'm not mature enough to let it go just like that," he shot her a teasing look.

Raising her eyebrows in interest, she merely smiled back at him. "There are a few dark rituals I've been made aware of that you might want to put a stop to, but they can't really happen until midnight at the soonest. I have, however, also been listening to the wrackspurts for signs of the Dark Lord. There are a lot of his minions still hanging around the countryside, awaiting his return. Some of them, thankfully not all, are stirring. One in particular, I thought you might be interested in paying it a visit."

Harry's expression had darkened at the mention of the Dark Lord, but he didn't let it affect him too much, instead just asking her, "What is it?"

"The Crumble Horned Snorcack," she answered. "It's supposed to be over in Cardiff, keeping an eye on the Rift that's supposed to be in the area, but word from the wrackspurts has it moving North up to Brecon. Probably for mating season."

A cold chill swept through Harry at the casual mention, and he'd learned since becoming Captain Marvel to pay close attention to those feelings, because usually it was Solomon or one of his other leftovers from Captain Marvel trying to tell him something very, very important.

The Crumble Horned Snorcack reproduces by abducting young human women under the age of 20 and holding them all in a hidden den held captive to the walls with it's saliva and other secretions which hardens to a near-unbreakable substance after only a few minutes. They are held for no less than 13 days and no more than 31 days, during which the Snorcack constantly mates with them non-stop until they are impregnated with multiple spawn, no less than ten each, afterwards the spawn tear their way from the inside of their 'mothers' and eat and kill each other until the only ones remaining, which are the strongest of all of them, are then eaten and consumed by the original Crumble Horned Snorcack in order to renew it's immortality and increase its power. Young witches are often the prime targets of the Snorcack.

Harry blinked away the clinical and non-emotional explanation, which helped to lessen the horror, but only by a very small amount.

"SHAZAM!" he screamed out with urgency.

"Find out if it's already made it's den or not and then find me wherever I am and tell me where I can find it. In the mean time, I'm going to be tracking the creature directly and see if I can stop it before it has a chance to do anything," Captain Marvel ordered.

Luna immediately shifted from her little girl form to her full-bodied Moon Nymph body. "At once, Captain Marvel. I would suggest starting in Cardiff. There have been a few covens that moved in recently with the Rift being in the area, thinking they could tap into it somehow. I'll let you know as soon as I have any more information for you."

"Thank you Luna," the green-eyed titan of magical might nodded at her and then took off into the air, moving as fast as he possibly could, hoping to get there in time.


	6. Gryffindor

Chapter 5: Gryffindor

"You," Lovegood said to the titan of magical might in red and gold, "are very fortunate. You know zat, oui?"

"That I stopped a demon from killing dozens of innocent young women, or that I have you for a partner?" Captain Marvel laughed.

They were currently flying back towards London from Cardiff, having put the Crumble Horned Snorcack back in its prison, guarding the rift in the area. Well, Captain Marvel was flying, Lovegood was sort of phasing in and out, just barely keeping up with him. And from his perspective, he was going pretty slow. The demon, the Snorcack, had somehow gotten free and according to rumor was planning on going through its mating cycle. Luna had gotten to Harry before it was too late and with Lovegood leading the way, Captain Marvel flew in to save the day. The hard part had simply been finding the Snorcack, but thanks in large part to Lovegood's connections with the Magical Community, the hard part wasn't actually that hard. The magic-imbued superhero then flew straight in and beat up the demon before dragging it back to the prison where it acted as a guardian for the Rift in Cardiff, and had for centuries already.

"Neezer," Lovegood answered him. "You merely are fortunate and should appreciate zat fact for what it is."

"I have to ask, what is up with the French accent?"

She merely smiled rather than answer and phased out one last time before vanishing entirely.

Captain Marvel rolled his eyes and sighed, intending on going back home, until a scream pierced the night and the superhero found himself even busier than in the early morning, working through the night. Thankfully, around midnight, he could sense no more evil that needed vanquishing, which was good. He still needed to get some sleep. He had school tomorrow, after all.

_Hogwarts_

_Next Day_

The next morning, Harry had a surprise waiting for him at Hogwarts, which showed itself just before morning role call.

"Class," Mrs. McGonagall spoke to her homeroom, "We have with us a new student. Her name is Luna Lovegood. She was just transferred this week to our school. She has been home-schooled up to this point, so I would appreciate it if you would all treat her kindly and show her how we do things here. Luna, would you care to introduce yourself?"

"Thank you Mrs. McGonagall," the silver-eyed blond looked up at the imposing Scottish teacher with an almost serene smile on her face.

Harry could only stare, unable to believe his eyes.

"My name is Luna Lane Lang Lemaris Laura Lori Lois Lucy Lucky Lovegood. My friends call me Luna. I'm nine and a half years old, and my daddy says I'm the most beautiful creature in this world and many others," she told the human children in a sing-song voice.

Harry snorted, trying to contain his laughter. He held both hands over his mouth and looked down before he could be called on.

"I don't like to lie, I love being outdoors, and learning is what I'm here to do. Well... that and one other thing, but that's a secret!" she 'shhed' the class after saying that. Harry's face started to turn red from the strain of holding himself in by now. Luna's eyes glinted with mischief and a bit of her supernatural nature, but only Harry was able to tell. "Thank you," she then curtsied and skipped to her seat, the only one empty at the moment, which just so happened to be the one right behind Harry.

He turned to look at her, as did most of the rest of the class, and hissed at her, "What do you think you're doing?"

She just smiled serenely at him and remained silent. Harry sighed, rolling his eyes, he turned back around to face front. He deliberately ignored Hermione's and Ron's curious looks at him. The interruption to daily routine over with, Mrs. McGonagall resumed class and moved things along.

Later, during the class change, Harry cornered Luna in the hallway in order to confront her about what she was doing. He was actually surprised at her appearance now, seeing as the first time he'd seen her, she'd been a six year old girl with her foot caught in a sewer grate. Time after that, when they had actually met, her Luna form was no more than a year older, if that, from when he'd first seen her, even while her Lovegood form was in it's early-twenties. Now, she was his age and looked it. Also, she wore the normal school uniform, instead of those horrid orange robes she always wore in both Luna and Lovegood forms he'd seen her in before.

"All right, Luna," he said, grabbing her arm and pulling her to the side, "What is it? What are you up to? Not that I don't want to believe the best of you, but our first meeting kind of left a sour taste in my memory."

"Harry, Harry, Harry," she clicked her tongue like he was some cute toddler that had just made a booboo. "I believe yesterday made my point quite clear. You need a contact in the Magical Community, otherwise you'll only react to dangers in your own city and no further. And while that's all well and good for the mortals of this city, that does little for the world at large."

Harry frowned, wanting to argue, but he kept his mouth shut.

"Therefore," she went on, removing his hand from her arm, "I've decided to go undercover at this school. I can help cover for you when Captain Marvel is needed, and I can keep you informed of major events and other needs the rest of the world may have of you. Besides, I think your girlfriend, Hermes was her name I believe, she's starting to really like me."

"Hermione," Harry growled, "And she's not my girlfriend. She _is_, however, one of my best friends and is innocent in all of this."

"So are you, my master," she giggled and kissed him on the cheek before skipping off down the hall to their next class.

Harry rolled his eyes toward the heavens and growled under his breath, "Why me? Why now? Why, oh why?"

By lunchtime, all of Harry's friends were now 'friends' with Luna and things were never going to be the same again.

"But that's impossible!" Hermione screeched. "You have no proof, and such things existing in the first place are absolutely absurd!"

Luna just smiled serenely her eyes twinkling, which people were beginning to think of as her normal expression. Harry, however, knew better and glowered at the back of the nymph's head.

"My daddy has seen Blubbering Humdingers with his own eyes," Luna answered matter-of-factly, "He's planning on writing a paper regarding their effects on teenagers and their relation to the propagation of the human species. If you'd like, I can get you a copy. My daddy is the editor," she pulled out a magazine, the title of which was the _Quibbler_. The cover article actually had more to do with the defeat of the Crumble Horned Snorcack at the hands of Captain Marvel.

Seeing the photos that were proudly displayed on the cover, Harry did a classic spit-take, and the twinkling in Luna's eyes increased ten fold.

"Whoa!" Ron exclaimed, grabbing the magazine out of the younger girl's hands, "Who is Captain Marvel? He looks a bit like that Superman bloke in the States. Only bigger. And with green eyes. And what's with the lightning bolt on his chest? And why is his cape so short?"

"It's not a cape, it's a cloak," Luna snapped as she grabbed her magazine back. Harry, quite frankly, was amazed that she managed to hide the annoyance in her voice, still sounding like she was high on something or literally had no cares or concerns about the world whatsoever.

"What's the difference?" Ron asked with a snort of laughter.

Harry glared at his friend, but was saved from endangering his secret identity with Luna answering, "A great deal in fact. But the most distinctive is the collar. Cloaks have collars, capes are tucked into the outerwear around the neck and shoulders, and is usually longer. Cloaks can be worn in a number of situations, whereas capes are far more specialized and are really only worn as either fashion statements or very special occasions. There is also..."

"Yes, Luna," Harry interrupted her, "we get it. Thank you."

"Yes, but..." whatever else Luna was about to say about capes and cloaks was lost as a paralyzing screech filled the air.

"WHAT IS _THAT?_!" Hermione tried and failed to yell over the screech. All the children on the roof, and probably in the entire building, had their hands over their ears. Save for Luna that is.

"How odd," Luna whispered the moment the screech stopped, only for it to start up a heartbeat later.

"What is that?" Harry shouted in the brief pause between screeches the next time it stopped. Luna waited until it stopped again, and then pointed across the way to the rooftop of a building across the street.

"It looks like a griffin," she answered, and was proven correct when the winged beast she was pointing at pulled back its head and let out another deafening screech.

"Let's get inside!" Harry waved everyone to the doors, not even trying to shout over the screech. They all got the message just the same, running for the rooftop doorway, hands still covering their ears. Luna, however, actually went to the edge of the rooftop, closest to the griffin and seemed to glare at it. The moment the last student had raced inside, she phased out of existence and back in so fast it looked like she blinked her entire body from 'Luna' to 'Lovegood'. The griffin stopped its screeching the moment it saw the nymph standing there on the rooftop. It took to its wing, flying through the air across the street towards Hogwarts' rooftop.

"SHAZAM!"

A crack of thunder, louder than the screeching, tore across the heavens, followed very shortly by Captain Marvel flying up from behind the school to meet the griffin part way. The crimson and gold superhero hovered between the half lion half eagle beast and the school, and waited for the first move to be made. The griffin flapped its wings, agitated, but thankfully it did not attack. It did, however, let loose with that loud, paralyzing screech again. The primary difference being that where Harry heard only noise and at an unbearable volume for that matter, Captain Marvel heard and understood the magical language of the griffin species, understandable only to those with a certain level of magical power, or a specific type of magical ability.

(SUPREME WIZARD! I, GRYFFINDOR SEEK YOUR AID IN MY HOUR OF NEED! PLEASE HELP ME!)

Captain Marvel blinked in surprise and glanced over his shoulder, back at Lovegood, who obviously had also understood the griffin, and just shrugged at the hero's look. Glancing back at the griffin, Captain Marvel replied, "I'll... do what I can, but perhaps you can better explain what aid you need of me. And no offense meant to you, Gryffindor, but perhaps you might communicate magically with my friend Lovegood and she can translate for you? It will attract less unwanted attention."

The griffin, Gryffindor, nodded it's eagle head and flew down to land on the school rooftop next to Lovegood. The nymph shot the flying superhero a dirty look, as though blaming him for something, but he just returned the shrug she'd shot him earlier and floated over to land on the other side of the magical beast.

"I can't believe you're making me do this," the ethereal blonde muttered, putting her hand on the griffin's shoulder, right where the eagle and lion parts mixed.

"You don't have to bond with it," Captain Marvel told her with a teasing smile, "Just translate. Although just the cliff notes version please. We should get off this roof sooner rather than later, as I'm sure several teachers are racing up the stairs in response to students coming in complaining about a horrible screeching noise. Now, Gryffindor, you said that you needed my help?"

The griffin seemed about to let out another screech, but instead it looked into Lovegood's eyes and she said, "First of all, stop wit ze mindless adoration. This child has a beeg enough head as it iz. Better."

She turned to face Captain Marvel and spoke for Gryffindor, "I need your help, Supreme Wizard. My nest is under attack. Please say you will help me."

She leaned forward and whispered, "He actually had a great deal more embellishment and begging involved, but zat iz ze gist."

"You really need to drop that French accent," Captain Marvel grumbled before turning and facing the majestic magical beast. "Gryffindor, lead the way. Would you mind letting Lovegood come along? She has trouble keeping up with me sometimes."

The Moon Nymph squawked the same moment the griffin did, although each had completely different meanings. Finally, after a heavy moment of glaring between the three of them, Lovegood bowed low before the mighty beast, who after a beat bowed back, and remained kneeling until she was properly situated across its back. With a single thrust of it's majestic wings, the mythical creature was airborne, Captain Marvel following right along side, having no trouble whatsoever in keeping up.

"About how far is your nest?" Lovegood asked Gryffindor, who apparently answered with a very surprising response.

Captain Marvel grinned and shared a look before saying out loud, "Well if it's so far, we'd best hurry, hadn't we?"

"..." Lovegood glared at the magical titan, growling under her breath, which both of her companions could hear quite well, "I hate you." It was soon followed by her screams as both superhero and griffin streaked across the sky, heading to defend the latter's nest.

_Gryffindor's Nest_

Gryffindor's nest wasn't exactly what Captain Marvel expected it to be. For starters, it was actually at the tip of the Cathedral Church of Christ, Blessed Mary the Virgin and St Cuthbert of Durham more commonly known as Durham Cathedral, one of the oldest cathedrals in all of England. Except it wasn't actually on top of the church, but the portal leading to it was.

Gryffindor's nest was actually it's own magical realm, or another dimension in layman's terms.

Once they were in the realm of Gryffindor's nest, Captain Marvel could see that the entire world was pretty much an endless mountain range, high in the mountains above the clouds. It was an amazing sight, and nearly took the young hero's breath away. The only thing that ruined it was what was happening to it at the moment.

"What are those things?" Captain Marvel asked in disgust, staring at the snake-like creatures that were swarming the mountains below. He knew even as he asked, but while his magical knowledge and wisdom told him _what_ they were, that didn't help with what their purpose was, or who they served.

"Basilisks," Lovegood answered needlessly. "All at least a hundred years old, some from their size I would say are more a thousand years old. Their gaze can kill more effectively than a Gorgon's, and their venom is one of the most lethal substances known to magic. Older they are, bigger they get, more powerful they become. How did they even get here?"

Gryffindor screeched and pointed it's talon at one particular snake that was bigger than all the rest.

"_Slytherin_!" Lovegood hissed. She turned to Captain Marvel, genuine fear in her eyes. "Slytherin is the _King Basilisk_! The oldest of them all, and needless to say the most powerful by far! They say that he doesn't even need creatures to meet his gaze in order for him to kill them with his! They say that...!"

"I'm sure they say a lot of things. I'll be right back," Captain Marvel said, closing his eyes and flying straight for the King Basilisk. Right before it would have devoured a nest full of eggs, the red and gold hero struck the massive snake right between the eyes and threw it off the mountain.

Lovegood slapped the back of Gryffindor's head, and demanded to know, "What in ze Nine Hells did you do to get _Slytherin's_ attention in ze first place?"

Gryffindor shot the Moon Nymph a glare, but didn't reply, instead diving in to help Captain Marvel defend it's home, attacking the younger and smaller basilisks as best it could.

Before Captain Marvel could do much more than pick up the second largest basilisk by the tail and use it to club others off the mountain, Slytherin reappeared from the cloud layer and headbutted the superhero in the back. Slytherin's eyes then glowed, shining dangerously as it stared after Captain Marvel.

Sensing the hostile magic, even as he was careening face first into the rocks below, Captain Marvel kept enough sense about him that he released the basilisk still in his grip at just the right moment so that the death magic being sent his way struck the basilisk first, blocking Captain Marvel from Slytherin's gaze entirely. He then crashed painfully into the side of the mountain, several boulders coming loose and covering him.

Hissing angrily at it's dead offspring, the King Basilisk slithered forward, intent on devouring the human that dared to interfere with its mission. Before it even got close, Captain Marvel punched his way clear and then picked up the largest boulder around him, making sure to keep it between him and Slytherin. Using his other senses, mostly hearing and touch from feeling the vibrations in the ground, he aimed carefully and then tossed the boulder straight at the giant snake, before picking up another just as quickly and throwing it and every other one that he could.

Slytherin smoothly dodged the first two, but after that they started coming so fast that it was being driven back and was winged if not hit outright more than once.

Unfortunately, Captain Marvel was starting to run out of boulders and he would still need one to hide behind. He'd taken Lovegood's warning to heart about Slytherin not needing eye contact to illicit the killing magic that was a part of the basilisk nature. Or rather, not needing eye-to-eye contact. Slytherin still needed to see its target, and he didn't want to risk finding out if all it really needed to see was a hand or a foot or the back of his head. Two aspects of his magic, Solomon and Achilles were both warning him that, empowered by the gods or not, he could still die, and basilisk magic was certainly potent enough to do it.

If only there was some way to blind the basilisk, but unfortunately only an immortal creature, like a phoenix or the counter to a basilisk a Cockatrice would be able to withstand Slytherin's gaze long enough to do something like that. Wait, who said anything about having to actually taking the snake's eyes out to blind it? He thought suddenly.

Throwing his last stone, Captain Marvel followed his instincts, gathering magical power to both his hands and whispering a spell of light under his breath. He waited until he could see the King Basilisk's head and then brought both his hands together in a loud clap. A blinding flash flooded the area and every living thing cried out in pain. Slytherin's eyes had been open and glowing staring right at Captain Marvel the moment the boulder fell away. At the exact same moment, the flash obscured Captain Marvel from sight, and because of the vulnerability of the basilisk's eyes when it was using it's killing magic, it was blinded for the next twenty four hours.

"Nooo!" Slytherin hissed loudly, shaking its head wildly, trying to see something, anything, and more than that trying to use its killing magic on everything around it. Of course none of that worked.

Captain Marvel waited precisely as long as it took after the light spell ended to confirm that Slytherin was now blind before flying head on towards it and slamming it with a heavy left combo followed by a killer right cross. The giant snake's head flew back, but it coiled its body and using its own senses of hearing and smell, it targeted Captain Marvel and struck like lightning.

He was knocked back into the mountain and then barely managed to get his feet under him in time to catch Slytherin's next strike, this one with a mouth full of poisonous fangs. Basilisk venom was some of the most lethal in all of magic.

Muscles bulging, Captain Marvel managed to hold the giant snake back, his hands at the top and bottom of Slytherin's unhinged jaw. Adjusting his grip slightly, the red and gold hero grabbed the snake by the scales and ascended into the sky. He then started spinning as fast as he possibly could and then tossed it into the air. Before the creature could recover, he slammed it with a flying uppercut followed by a double fisted blow to the back of the skull where it met the spine.

Before it could reach the rocky ground below however, he dove after it and grabbed it by the tail with both arms and carried it higher into the sky as fast as he could possibly fly. And then he started to spin in the opposite direction and kept it up until they were nothing but a big green, silver, red and gold blur before finally letting go. Slytherin flailed as he shot down below the cloud banks. Far below, the sound of the crash and the avalanche it started echoed back up to the top of the mountains.

There, he clapped the dust from his hands, that's the boss taken care of, now for all the minions.

Captain Marvel cast about, looking for some way of clearing the threat away quickly and without any further damage to the griffins and their eggs. Of course he could just go around throwing them off the mountains like he had the King Basilisk, but there were thousands of basilisks of all sizes slithering all over the place. He would be at it for hours and who knows how much more damage they could do in the interim.

All he saw were rocks and clouds. And not even storm clouds that... wait a minute.

"GRYFFINDOR! GET YOUR PEOPLE IN THE AIR!" Captain Marvel shouted. Moments later a loud screech rent the air and all the griffins took to the air, carrying as many of their eggs as they could. Lovegood waved her hands and sang a note that soon had all the rest floating up beside their parents, right out of the mouths of the basilisks in some cases. At the curious looks she got, she just shrugged and said, "I've picked up a few tricks here and there."

"I really hope this works," Captain Marvel mumbled and enacted his plan.

Taking a deep breath and concentrating with all his magical might, he gathered power to his hand and clapped, shouting at the same moment, "SHAZAM!" The bolt of thunder came, but because he also dodged it and then grabbed it with his glowing hands, he caught the bolt of raw magic lightning and was able to redirect it, to every single basilisk below as they were grounded and what he threw the bolt of power at. He was half afraid he would be changed back to Harry mid-air, but thankfully his gamble worked, and more than that, all of the evil snake demons were roasted on the spot, even the ones that were thousands of years old.

Unfortunately, however roasted they became, did not mean that they were killed. Any under five hundred were, but those were also the weakest and the same ones that Captain Marvel and the griffins could have handled on their own anyway.

"Well, if it worked once," Captain Marvel began gathering his power once again, planning on doubling the strength of the blast.

Before he could shout however, Lovegood shouted, "Captain Marvel! LOOKOUT!"

He flew up and into a back flip, narrowly missing the attack lunge from Slytherin, who could apparently fly. No, Captain Marvel silently observed as the giant snake fell back to the mountains below, it could just jump _really_ high.

Since he still had the power gathered in his hands, he decided what better opportunity was he going to get. Adjusting the way he was going to redirect the power, he screamed to the heavens, "SHAZAM!" and dodged and caught the bolt of power with a clap once again, this time directly all of it directly towards Slytherin. The King Basilisk screamed as the power tore through it, and at the same moment, all the still living basilisks screamed with their progenitor. Not out of any kind of sympathy pains, but from real pain, as the power being shot against Slytherin was halved and that half was evenly distributed between all the remaining basilisk. Apparently that was good enough, this time, to destroy all of them that were younger than two thousand years old.

"LEAVE NOW, OR ELSE!" Captain Marvel shouted to the remainder. "AND KNOW THAT GRYFFINDOR AND ALL HIS PEOPLE ARE NOW UNDER MY PROTECTION!"

The griffins all screamed with delight at this proclamation.

Captain Marvel floated down until he was eye to eye with Slytherin and dared to look the King Basilisk in the eye, which fortunately were burned shut from the power it had just been blasted with. "IF YOU WANT TO GET TO THEM, YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME FIRST! NOW GET OUT OF HERE!" he screamed in the dark creature's face.

"I won't forget thisss, Wisssard," Slytherin hissed, and then made some snake sounds that had all of the remaining basilisk vanishing in puffs of black smoke and then disappearing into the cloud bank below.

"Gryffindor says thanks," Lovegood translated even as her mount and all the other griffins landed back amongst their nests.

"..." Captain Marvel was silent, his arms still crossed over his massive chest.

"Something amiss, Captain?" the nymph asked.

"Slytherin is territorial and vengeful, but until now, I don't think it was an agent of the Dark Lord. I think I may have just pushed the basilisk race in that direction with this."

Gryffindor nudged the superhero and then emphatically shook it's eagle head. It them made several bird and cat like sounds and after it stopped looked expectantly to Lovegood. Frowning, she translated for him.

"Gryffindor says that he and Slytherin were allies once. Neighbors if you will. The basilisk lived in the caves and the griffins on the cliffs. Not in the same reality, but adjourning ones. Human wizards, magic poachers, and even goblins and trolls would steal from both of them equally. Desecrate corpses, steal eggs, raid nests. Unfortunately it iz a sad fact of ze current state of things zat zis iz quite common."

"Save the commentary, if you please, Lovegood," Captain Marvel gestured for her to get on with it.

"Hem hem," Lovegood cleared her throat with a small glare and continued, "Something happened recently. A demon came to the basilisk caves. A messenger demon. That same messenger demon then came to the griffin nests. Gryffindor only listened long enough to hear it introduce itself before chasing it from the realm. Unfortunately, he heard that Slytherin did not do the same."

"The demon's name?" he asked, dreading the answer.

Gryffindor growled.

Lovegood's eyes went wide as she repeated, "_Duramonill_!"

Gryffindor spoke some more and Lovegood translated, carefully ignoring that mounting anger in Captain Marvel's expression. "After the demon visited, Slytherin started encroaching into the realm of the griffins, invading, not just visiting or entering and then leaving. The basilisk realm started to bleed into this realm and it was obvious what was happening. Gryffindor tried to get Slytherin to talk to him, but he was ignored. When a nest was attacked by basilisks, Gryffindor retaliated by invading the basilisk caves with his best hunters. There was a war. When this attack started, with Slytherin at the lead, Gryffindor came to get us, well, you."

"What can I do to keep Slytherin from invading all over again?" Captain Marvel asked, half to himself.

"You've already done it," Lovegood informed him. "By declaring Gryffindor's Nest a protectorate, Slytherin must now invade and conquer your home realm before he can enter Gryffindor's again. By any means. It is a law of magic."

His green eyes went wide. "You mean..."

"Yes, you have nothing to worry about," Lovegood shrugged off his apparent concern. "The defenses on the Rock of Eternity are infinite and unbeatable. Why is it you think the Seven Deadly Sins are imprisoned there? There is no way to break in, and there is no way to break out. The only ones allowed in and out are the Supreme Wizard and whatever guests he may invite in. And never without him being present. Nothing to worry about."

"Except my home realm isn't the Rock of Eternity, it's _Earth_!" Captain Marvel shouted, worry filling his voice.

Lovegood blinked and then did a double-take. She shared a look with Gryffindor before replying, "You mean Earth, the _Human Realm_ Earth, the _Mortal Realm_ Earth?"

Rather than give a sarcastic retort, Captain Marvel simply nodded his head and answered, "Yes."

"We may need your help, my friend," Lovegood said to the Griffin King after another long glance shared between them.


End file.
